It’s a pretty good bet that my ancestors (and yours) that
immigrated to the US came by steamship from Ireland. So it is fitting that we are leaving in much the same way,
although a bit more posh. And
while their first view of America was probably the New York skyline and the
Statue of Liberty, our last glimpse is, unfortunately, Texas!
The boarding process was better organized and much less
humiliating than at the airport and our stateroom is nicer and larger than many
of the hotels we have stayed in.
The crossing will take two weeks, just a tad longer than a
trans-Atlantic flight.
While Connie waited for our luggage to
arrive I walked around the ship to get my bearings. I noticed two types of passengers. Experienced cruisers had already changed into bathing suits
and staked out deck chairs around the pool while the rest of us wandered like
deer in the headlights. The ship
is huge – over 1,000 feet in length.
There are fourteen decks.
Our cabin is on #3, about 15 feet above the water. I found several pools, a
basketball court, a climbing wall and a well equipped fitness center and am
sure we will discover more tomorrow.
We signed up for the early dinner
seating at 5:30 – eight o’clock was just too late. Our tablemates are Laura and Greg from Houston, Samuel and
Gordana also from Houston and two older women (Jan and Lois) from California.
The food was great. There is a
nice selection, the portions are jus right, the presentation is nice and our
waiters, Santana and Mathieu, are pleasant and attentive. But it’s not easy making a choice –
everything looks great. The ship
left the dock just and cleared Galveston Bay just as we finished dessert.
